A judge in Argentina has made the extraordinary ruling that the body of Juan Manuel Fangio, the five-time Formula 1 World Champion, is to be exhumed.

Just days before the twentieth anniversary of his death at the age of 84, Fangio’s body will be exhumed on August 7 in order for a paternity test to be carried out.

The decision stems from a lawsuit, commenced in 2013, by Oscar Cesar Espinoza, who claims to be the illegitimate son of the man who won five Formula 1 championship titles in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957.

Fangio was never married nor publicly acknowledged fathering any children, although he did have a 20-year relationship with Andrea Berruet, who is Espinoza’s mother.